Chelsea are hoping for a major fitness boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Sunderland, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez closing in on a return after jaw surgery.
The Blues travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon looking to sign off for the final international break of 2026 on a positive note, having had a few days' rest following their 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Manager Xabi Alonso could be boosted by the return of Martinez for the game and will provide an update on the fitness of striker Joao Pedro, who has now missed the last three games. Chelsea face a Sunderland side bottom of the Premier League table and balancing Europa League commitments, and may fancy their chances of avenging the 2-1 loss on the final day of last season - a result that cost them European football.
Martinez closing in on comeback
Martinez has missed Chelsea's last three games across all competitions after undergoing surgery for a broken jaw sustained in a collision with Jarrad Branthwaite in the win over Everton last month. The Argentina international was expected to be sidelined for around six weeks, but Standard Sport reported before the win against Manchester United that there was optimism Martinez could be back fit ahead of schedule, and Alonso confirmed as much in the pre-match press conference.
"Yes, there is a chance. We need to still wait for next week, but let's see how things go," Alonso said in response to being asked if Martinez could return against Sunderland. "But there is a chance."
It would appear that Martinez is on course to be in contention to replace Mike Penders in goal at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon as he was put through his paces at Cobham on Wednesday ahead of Chelsea's final fixture before the November international break. The 34-year-old was spotted in the session wearing a protective face mask and will need to do so if selected against Sunderland. "In case he's ready to play, he will need a face mask probably," Alonso added.
Joao Pedro and Henderson updates
Joao Pedro was forced to sit out Chelsea's rare home loss to Tottenham due to picking up a thigh injury in training on the eve of the game. No definitive timeframe has yet been set for the return of the Brazilian, and Chelsea will be understandably cautious with such an important player, who seems unlikely to play again before the November international break.
"He has an injury on his thigh and he's going be out for a few weeks," Alonso said on Joao Pedro before the defeat by Liverpool. "Let's see how many. We don't want to predict on that. But not ready for the next games. He's a key player. We will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, and be competitive and try and win with the players we have available. This is the situation."
Jordan Henderson was a surprise absentee from the Chelsea squad to face Manchester United, despite having played 90 minutes against former club Liverpool in the Carabao Cup three days prior. The summer signing has forged a decent midfield pairing with Moises Caicedo of late and should be in contention to face another of his old clubs this weekend as any concerns over an injury have already been allayed.
Alonso said Henderson was ill and suffering with a fever last Saturday. "He's ill," Alonso said of Henderson to TNT Sports. "There's no injury, but he was not feeling well yesterday and today had a fever in the morning, so he was not feeling good enough to come with the team."
James and Lacroix facing lengthy absences
Chelsea's influential captain Reece James suffered a knee injury in training at Cobham on his return from another hamstring issue. After consulting with a specialist, he underwent successful surgery last month that was described as "minor" and Alonso has been reluctant to put a date on his potential return. However, Standard Sport understands that it is likely to be around three months before James is back in action.
Maxence Lacroix limped off late in the first half of the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool with a suspected hamstring injury. Alonso said that Chelsea would need to assess the problem before estimating a recovery time, later admitting that he would be out until after the November international break. "Max picked up an injury and we expect that he will not be ready before the international break. So he will be a few weeks out," Alonso said before the win over Manchester United. Reports have since suggested that Chelsea fear Lacroix, like James, may not play again until the New Year.
Hato, Gittens and Anselmino
Jorrel Hato was a surprise absentee from the Chelsea squad that travelled to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup fourth round and was not available against Manchester United either. Following the 2-0 win over the Red Devils, Alonso revealed that the Dutchman was battling a back injury. "How long, we don't know, but he's not available for tomorrow," Alonso said. "He has a back problem and he's not feeling okay for tomorrow."
Jamie Gittens has yet to make a single Premier League appearance for Chelsea so far this season, with his only two outings to date coming against Luton and Leeds in the Carabao Cup. The winger has been unlucky with injuries since arriving in west London from Borussia Dortmund last summer, a trend which continued as he suffered an ankle problem while on international duty with England's Under-21s last month and needed crutches. Alonso's last update confirmed that Gittens was still facing "weeks" on the sidelines, putting him on track to return at some point in November or perhaps even early December.
In Wednesday's training session, there was also the rare sighting of forgotten £17million signing Aaron Anselmino. The 21-year-old has not made a Chelsea senior matchday squad since the Carabao Cup second round win over Luton in August and he has been sidelined with an unspecified injury. However, he has taken a big step on the road to recovery. "He's not available yet," Alonso revealed last week. "He's had a few things, a few injuries and it still will take a few weeks until he's fully fit and we need to be cautious with him because he has had a few of them so he's still not there."
